Book Cover Design: Illustrate Stories with Evocative Images
A course by Owen Gent , Artist and Freelance Illustrator
Learn how to distill the words of a book into a single image using watercolors, handmade textures, and Photoshop
Learn how to distill the words of a book into a single image using watercolors, handmade textures, and Photoshop
Book covers are the perfect bridge between our world and the one created within their pages. Artist and illustrator Owen Gent uses subtle, intimate, human imagery to create his covers using watercolors and Photoshop. He has worked with publishers including Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, and Vintage.
In this course, Owen guides you through the steps you need to create a meaningful book cover of your own using a variety of both digital and analog techniques. Delve into the world of book cover design and bring your favorite story to life through illustration.
What will you learn in this online course?
18 lessons & 22 downloads
- 99% positive reviews (171)
- 3,842 students
- 18 lessons (3h 29m)
- 22 additional resources (8 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software for this course
Adobe PhotoshopWhat is this course's project?
Create your own professional book cover, combining watercolors, handmade textures, and Photoshop.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone interested in book cover illustration or exploring an alternative approach to their existing designs.
Requirements and materials
Previous experience with Photoshop is essential.
You will need paper, brushes, and dark-tone watercolor, as well as access to a printer, scanner, a computer with Photoshop, and other materials specified by the teacher in this course.
Reviews
Owen Gent is an artist and freelance illustrator who specializes in book cover design. Growing up in Devon meant he was inspired by nature from a young age and always dreamed of being an artist. He went on to study illustration in Falmouth in Cornwall, and there, began experimenting with telling stories through the traditional and digital painting techniques which are now an integral part of his work.
He currently creates from his studio in Bristol and has worked on everything from editorial illustration and advertising to record sleeve design and animation. During his ten-year career, he has worked with publishers including Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, and Vintage and had his work recognized at the D&AD Awards, International Illustration Awards, and Cannes Lions - International Festival of Creativity.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Creating Reference Material, Exploring Visual Ideas and Generating Roughs
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Presentation of Materials
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Choosing Your Book and Creating Simple Reference Materials
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Thumbnail Sketches and The Power of Composition
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Developing the Strongest Thumbnails into Initial Roughs I
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Developing the Strongest Thumbnails into Initial Roughs II
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Creating Full Jacket Roughs
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U3
Creating the Final Artwork
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Transferring and Drawing Out the Final Illustration
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Watercolour Painting
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Scanning Into Photoshop
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Separating the Painting into Individual Layers
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U4
Editing the Final Book Jacket
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Adding Colour Using the Selective Colour Tool
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Bringing in Found and Handmade Textures
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Finishing Touches
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Tracing the Type and Final Graphic Design Tweaks
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U5
Showing Off Your Cover in Your Portfolio
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Bringing Your Book Cover to Life with Mock-up Templates
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Sharing Your Cover Online
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FP
Final project
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Book Cover Design: Illustrate Stories with Evocative Images
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
Adobe Photoshop
theresa_edlauer
PlusDieser Kurs war so Toll!
Ich hab sooo unglaublich viel lernen können.
Es war schon lange ein Wunsch von mir zu lernen wie ich ein Buchcover erstelle. Dieser Kurs hat mir gezeigt, Schritt für Schritt wie ich dies schaffe. Owen erklärt jeden Schritt super verständlich und mit einer Begeisterung die ansteckend ist.
Danke!
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juliana.lorenzo9917
Me encanto la mezcla de técnicas analógicas con técnicas digitales, aprendí técnicas muy utiles para el color. Accesible y didacticamente muy bien dado. Hermoso curso!
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paulinanonima
I like the course the resources are poor
jusufhaf
I love how Owen walk us through process an shares a lot of details.
priscillacarina
I already knew Owen from IG, so I was really excited to find out, that he had partnered up with Domestika. I wanted to take the course to create a cover for a story I had been given to read. I think Owen did a great job introducing the craft.